Acts 23:13
New International Version
More than forty men were involved in this plot.

New Living Translation
There were more than forty of them in the conspiracy.

English Standard Version
There were more than forty who made this conspiracy.

Berean Standard Bible
More than forty of them were involved in this plot.

Berean Literal Bible
Now there were more than forty having made this conspiracy,

King James Bible
And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.

New King James Version
Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy.

New American Standard Bible
There were more than forty who formed this plot.

NASB 1995
There were more than forty who formed this plot.

NASB 1977
And there were more than forty who formed this plot.

Legacy Standard Bible
And there were more than forty who formed this scheme.

Amplified Bible
There were more than forty [men] who formed this plot [and swore this oath].

Christian Standard Bible
There were more than forty who had formed this plot.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
There were more than 40 who had formed this plot.

American Standard Version
And they were more than forty that made this conspiracy.

English Revised Version
And they were more than forty which made this conspiracy.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
More than forty men took part in this plot.

Good News Translation
There were more than forty who planned this together.

International Standard Version
More than 40 men formed this conspiracy.

Majority Standard Bible
More than forty of them were involved in this plot.

NET Bible
There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy.

New Heart English Bible
There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they were more than forty who had made this conspiracy.

Weymouth New Testament
There were more than forty of them who bound themselves by this oath.

World English Bible
There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and they were more than forty who made this conspiracy by oath,

Berean Literal Bible
Now there were more than forty having made this conspiracy,

Young's Literal Translation
and they were more than forty who made this conspiracy by oath,

Smith's Literal Translation
And there were more than forty having made this conspiracy.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they were more than forty men that had made this conspiracy.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Now there were more than forty men who had taken this oath together.

New American Bible
There were more than forty who formed this conspiracy.

New Revised Standard Version
There were more than forty who joined in this conspiracy.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And those who had sworn to this conspiracy were more than forty persons.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But those who established this covenant with an oath were more than forty men.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And there were more than forty who formed this conspiracy.

Godbey New Testament
And there were more than forty having made this plot:

Haweis New Testament
Now there were more than forty who had on oath formed this conspiracy.

Mace New Testament
the conspirators, who were above forty in number,

Weymouth New Testament
There were more than forty of them who bound themselves by this oath.

Worrell New Testament
And there were more than forty, who made this conspiracy;

Worsley New Testament
And they were more than forty that had made this oath:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Plot to Kill Paul
12When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 More than forty of them were involved in this plot. 14They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul.…

Cross References
Acts 9:23-24
After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, / but Saul learned of their plot. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him.

Acts 25:3
to grant them a concession against Paul by summoning him to Jerusalem, because they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.

Acts 21:30-31
The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. / While they were trying to kill him, the commander of the Roman regiment received a report that all Jerusalem was in turmoil.

Acts 22:22
The crowd listened to Paul until he made this statement. Then they lifted up their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He is not fit to live!”

Acts 24:1-9
Five days later the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, who presented to the governor their case against Paul. / When Paul had been called in, Tertullus opened the prosecution: “Because of you, we have enjoyed a lasting peace, and your foresight has brought improvements to this nation. / In every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with all gratitude. ...

Acts 26:9-11
So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. / And that is what I did in Jerusalem. With authority from the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were condemned to death, I cast my vote against them. / I frequently had them punished in the synagogues, and I tried to make them blaspheme. In my raging fury against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.

Acts 14:5-6
But when the Gentiles and Jews, together with their rulers, set out to mistreat and stone them, / they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding region,

Acts 20:3
where he stayed three months. And when the Jews formed a plot against him as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia.

Acts 6:11-14
Then they prompted some men to say, “We heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.” / So they stirred up the people, elders, and scribes and confronted Stephen. They seized him and brought him before the Sanhedrin, / where they presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. ...

Acts 7:57-58
At this they covered their ears, cried out in a loud voice, and rushed together at him. / They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.

Acts 13:50
The Jews, however, incited the religious women of prominence and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district.

Acts 17:5
The Jews, however, became jealous. So they brought in some troublemakers from the marketplace, formed a mob, and sent the city into an uproar. They raided Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas, hoping to bring them out to the people.

Acts 18:12
While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews coordinated an attack on Paul and brought him before the judgment seat.

Matthew 26:3-4
At that time the chief priests and elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, / and they conspired to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him.

Mark 14:1
Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were two days away, and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a covert way to arrest Jesus and kill Him.


Treasury of Scripture

And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.

which.

2 Samuel 15:12,31
And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counseller, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom…

John 16:2
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.

Jump to Previous
Bound Conspiracy Formed Forty Involved Joined Oath Plot Themselves Together
Jump to Next
Bound Conspiracy Formed Forty Involved Joined Oath Plot Themselves Together
Acts 23
1. As Paul pleads his cause,
2. Ananias commands them to strike him.
7. Dissension among his accusers.
11. God encourages him.
14. The Jews' vow to kill Paul,
20. is declared unto the chief captain.
27. He sends him to Felix the governor.














More than forty
The phrase "more than forty" indicates a significant number of individuals, suggesting a serious and organized conspiracy. In the context of first-century Judea, a group of this size would have been substantial, reflecting the intensity of opposition against Paul. The number forty often symbolizes a period of testing or judgment in the Bible, as seen in the forty days of rain during the flood (Genesis 7:12) or the Israelites' forty years in the wilderness (Numbers 14:33). This could imply a divine testing of Paul’s faith and mission.

of them
The term "of them" refers to the Jewish zealots who were vehemently opposed to Paul's teachings. These individuals were likely part of a radical faction within the Jewish community, possibly the Sicarii, known for their extreme measures to protect Jewish law and tradition. Their identity as "of them" highlights their collective identity and shared purpose, rooted in a fervent desire to uphold their interpretation of the law.

were involved
The phrase "were involved" suggests active participation and commitment to the plot. The Greek word used here, "συνωμόω" (synomóō), implies a sworn oath or conspiracy. This indicates that these men were not merely passive participants but had taken a solemn vow, binding themselves to the mission of killing Paul. This level of involvement underscores the seriousness of their intent and the perceived threat Paul posed to their beliefs.

in this plot
The "plot" refers to the conspiracy to kill Paul, a plan that was both premeditated and secretive. The Greek term "ἐπιβουλή" (epiboulē) denotes a deliberate and strategic plan, often with malicious intent. Historically, plots and conspiracies were not uncommon in the volatile political and religious climate of the time. This particular plot against Paul highlights the deep-seated animosity and fear that his message of the Gospel incited among certain Jewish groups, who saw it as a direct challenge to their authority and traditions.

Verse 13. - Made for had made, A.V. Conspiracy; συνωμοσία, in Latin conjuratio. It only occurs here in the New Testament, but is used occasionally by Diodorus Siculus and other Greek writers. The kindred word συνωμότης is found in the LXX. of Genesis 14:13, rendered "confederate," A.V.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
More than
πλείους (pleious)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural - Comparative
Strong's 4119: Or neuter pleion, or pleon comparative of polus; more in quantity, number, or quality; also the major portion.

forty [of them]
τεσσεράκοντα (tesserakonta)
Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 5062: Forty. The decade of tessares; forty.

were
ἦσαν (ēsan)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

involved
ποιησάμενοι (poiēsamenoi)
Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 4160: (a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.

in this
ταύτην (tautēn)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

plot.
συνωμοσίαν (synōmosian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4945: A conspiracy, plot. From a compound of sun and omnuo; a swearing together, i.e. a plot.


Links
Acts 23:13 NIV
Acts 23:13 NLT
Acts 23:13 ESV
Acts 23:13 NASB
Acts 23:13 KJV

Acts 23:13 BibleApps.com
Acts 23:13 Biblia Paralela
Acts 23:13 Chinese Bible
Acts 23:13 French Bible
Acts 23:13 Catholic Bible

NT Apostles: Acts 23:13 There were more than forty people who (Acts of the Apostles Ac)
Acts 23:12
Top of Page
Top of Page